as in to backfire
to have the reverse of the desired or expected effect
the well-meaning gesture boomeranged, since he ended up being offended by it
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for boomerang
Verb
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There were even marketing wars that sometimes backfired, as in 1994, when Owners Abroad promised a marketing blitz after rebranding to First Choice.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025 -
The gamble backfired and his centrist bloc lost seats to the far right and far left, leaving France with a divided National Assembly and effectively ungovernable.—
Saskya Vandoorne,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The marathon meeting evoked memories of a past era of contentious county budgets in the wake of the 2008 housing crash, when collapsed real estate values caused a severe revenue crunch for Miami-Dade.—
Douglas Hanks,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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But there have still been high-profile rail bridge collapses like the one in Montana two years ago that sent a train hauling petroleum products into the Yellowstone River, sending tar balls downstream that had to be cleaned up.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Since this season’s halcyon days -- a weekend home sweep of the Yankees that got Miami even at 55-55 -- the Fish have flopped at 10-22 .—
Greg Cote
September 7,
Miami Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
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Cellphone bill flop prompts finger-pointing Hall seized on the vote breakdown as an example of Democratic lawmakers out of step with Whitmer and out of touch with public support for cellphone restrictions at school.—
Clara Hendrickson,
Freep.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Boomerang.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/boomerang. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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